Susan Biebuyck: Studio 205Susan Biebuyck is a highly skilled painter using a variety of media including watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastels. She is a skilled realist who is not afraid to venture into impressionism or abstraction. When you visit her studio there's always some new creation in the works. Rather than paint in repetition, Susan is working on theme based exhibits with a common thread or idea that knits them together. This allows her to explore many techniques, styles, supplies, colors and theories. “My art is about the pleasure of making art. When the end result is a good piece, it’s exciting. I truly feel art should be fun.”
To see her most current exhibit online visit: www.susanbiebuyck.com
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Alvin Booth: Studio 537JazzWare, Ltd.
Alvin E. Booth, a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, is a self-taught artist. Acrylic on canvas is his preferred medium, and his use of color in landscapes, portraitures and original concepts is highly unusual. His subject matter is the mind, the heart and the soul.
Alvin’s work has been displayed in Southern California and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He also has ongoing exhibits at various galleries in Richmond, Virginia. His work has been displayed at the Moja Arts Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Pennsylvania, and Albright College’s Cultural Center. He has had two recent one-man shows at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania where he also has a studio.
Alvin fells that art, like jazz, is best when improvised. |  |
Emily Branch: Studio 213Emily Branch, originally from Wyomissing, enrolled in Kutztown University’s B.F.A. program, graduating in 1995, and then went on to complete her M.F.A in 1998 in Rochester, NY. She worked through school in the Marketing Department of Light Impressions, Corp., RIT’s Fine Art Program, and teaching undergraduate photography at the State University of New York and Empire State College.
In 1998 she took the position of Director of Photography at Buck’s Rock Camp in Connecticut. She spent her free time learning about glassblowing, pottery, paper art, and metals, and working during the year for local art organizations, teaching, and traveling overseas. In 2004, Emily formed Cage Free Design and worked out of her 120 year old house in historic Washington, CT.
Emily was one of the founding artists at Goggleworks Center for the Arts, and served on the Gogglework’s Board of Directors and Program Committee in 2006. She exhibits her work regionally, and is currently under commission creating whimsical pet portraits.
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Artist Link: http://www.CageFreeDesign.com Kevin Brett: Studio 308Born, raised and continuing to live in Berks County with my wife and two sons art has always been a passion since childhood. Having some schooling in the fine arts and graphic arts as well as over 25 years of photography experience in all types of situations with continuing self education, the need to create has always been there. Recent career changes have brought focus back closer to the arts in the medium of photography after many years in the automobile business.
Working mostly in black and white imagery with some color photographs, it is very challenging to take everyday, normally overlooked objects or subject matter and present them in ways that the viewer can extract feelings from personal experiences of their own. As when working in other mediums of visual art such as drawing, painting and sculpture, great effort is made to have everything within the photographic compositions all become characters in motionless plays captured through a lens. The use of unusual and dramatic angles gives the photographs views with the intensions to make seemingly insignificant items a bit more powerful and emotional. This style of fine art photography is very pure and traditional but there are always conceptual meanings behind all the fine art photographs created. With portrait photography the goal is to deliver very natural images with strong emotional impact. Straying from typical formal portraitures with the use of on location settings, creative lighting, natural lighting or simple solid backgrounds in combination with casual atmospheres helps to capture people being themselves. This produces uniquely personal portraits that can not only be admired but felt also.
Credits include international & national awards, photographs published world wide and stock photography contracted. Commercial clients include US Airways, Mia Moda, Pontiac, Enersys. Volunteer services to local community & non-profit organizations such as The Fleetwood Historical Society, RiverPlace, Animal Rescue League, Borough of Wyomissing, Olivet Boys' & Girls' Club, Genesius Theatre, Pennsylvania Greenway Sojourn, The Goggle Works Center for the Arts and the Berks Art Council. |  |
Artist E-Mail: kbrett@soul-imagery.com
Artist Link: soul-imagery.com W. Eugene Burkhart, Jr.: Studio 317Gene is an international lecturer, floral designer, instructor, and pressed flower artist. His designs have been in exhibitions and competitions throughout the United States and the world. He lectured at the International Pressed Flower Art Exhibition held in Nagano, Japan.
Gene received the 2005 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award given by The Berks Arts Council. He is the producer and host of "Your Berks Craftsmen" on BCTV. He enjoys creating his unique designs with pressed plant material. |  |
Artist Link: http://www.geneburkhart.com Janna Carrozza: Studio 321Janna, a native of Reading, is a fiber artist who weaves fabric to create clothing and accessories.
Her work ranges from garments to scarves and bags. Janna weaves almost entirely in natural fibers such as organic cotton, tencel, and soy silk.
Janna has been with the Reading School District since 2000. She currently teaches at Reading High School in the art department. She attended Philadelphia University and Kutztown University where she received a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and Art Education. Janna is currently finishing a Masters Degree in Art Education at Kutztown University. |  |
Artist E-Mail: jhandwovendesigns@yahoo.com
Alan Cernak: Studio 306artist statement
-a few years ago one of my 4th grade students asked me, "where do your pictures come from?" i told her i dont choose the images i draw, they choose me , and i follow the directions my heart and inspiration give me
-it's a question i first began to examine in 1974 when i saw yoko ono's tuna fish luncheon and still ask myself today....where does the meaning of the art works we create originate
-do artists invent ideas and works out of the whole cloth of their vision? or do they merely point out parts of what is already all around us in new , interesting ways
-as artists , do we lead an audience to a new place and viewpoint of our sole creation? or do we see something already existing in the social fabric that has emotional value,leaving it for the viewer to ponder its meaning
-or do we do both....somewhere in be-between
-it's this edge that has always intrigued me , the line between thought and color , between original and copy. and in my early work i explored this are with somewhat abstract acrylic paintings , serigraphs and constructions
-it's this edge that i return to again and again , to poke around the corners of new work , what is a print , and what is a re-creation of something original |  |
Artist Link: http://alancernak.com
Lindsay Deery: Studio 307Three years ago I graduated from Albright College with a degree in Art Education. Currently I am teaching at Blue Mountain High School in Pottsville, PA. My present work is abstract backgrounds saturated with color and text accompanied by caricature style portraits in the foreground. My goal is to create a head turning frenzy and make people laugh.
As a portrait artist, I strive to capture the humor of situations and personalities through authentic yet rather ridiculously looking facial expressions. Typically you will find the word “Beautiful” coupled with a stylized image of a small trash can throughout my pieces. Using the word “beautiful” acts as a sugar coating on the ugliness of deceit that unfortunately lies within the population. I represent this ugliness through the repetition of small trash cans. My purpose for this collaboration is to make my viewers really look at the good and bad in people. My inspiration has come from the late Alice Neel and Gayleen Aiken who created art that illustrates the importance of embracing imperfections.
Please feel free to stop by my studio and check out my work! I guarantee it will be quite an experience! If I am not available please leave a note with contact information.
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Artist E-Mail: lindsaydeery@hotmail.com
Raylene DeVine: Studio 201“To create is the ultimate pleasure, it is with great joy that I take from the past, salvage the discarded and useless object and produce beauty.”
Raylene is a locally trained painter, having studied primarily at the Institute of the Arts in Wyomissing. She has followed in the footsteps of the impressionists and has painted in France, Mexico and England.
A new series of paintings will be available in January of the pathways and fields of her beloved home, Pennsylvania. |  |
Tara Espinoza: Studio 208Miss Espinoza received her Bachelors degree from the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio and a Masters from The Ohio State University. She has shown her work locally & nationally. She is actively pursuing ways to show, promote, and expand her artwork (hum… perhaps toothpick stick people).
You can find Miss Espinoza, and her talented
studio-mate, Miss Kulikowski, on the second floor in room 208. If you stop by their studio space during the day you may catch a glimpse of the piano playing monkey! Be warned, Henry works for twenties.
Miss Espinoza currently lives, sleeps, travels around on planes, and makes funky art in Pennsylvania.
Contact her via
Email: taraespinoza@bluechickandesigns.com
Blog:www.bluechickendesigns.com/newsblog
Web: www.bluechickendesigns.com |  |
Patricia Murtha Friedman: Studio 510Watercolors and mixed media— landscapes, seascapes, botanicals, and “whimsey”—from decades of memories that relish the seasons—images known for their movement, color, and composition. A self-taught artist who did not discover the artist within until her mid 40’s, Friedman is both a sought-after artist and innovative teacher whose students themselves have won many awards. Now with numerous collectors, Friedman’s work is also published for the stationery, gift & licensing industries.
Business: P.O. Box 5965, Wyomissing, PA 19610 |  |
Artist E-Mail: littlehallstudios@yahoo.com
Artist Link: http://www.littlehallstudios.com Jan Gaul: Studio 221 Jan Gaul was born in Reading, Pa. is a self taught Artist who often expresses his passion for photo-realistic Art with Religious Iconography placed in haunting settings. Much of his Fine Art centers on the wicked, and the beautiful. He learned his craft through perseverance, and a relentless effort to convey an image to it's truest representation. Jan Gaul welcomes the challenge of teaching the most average Student to produce amazing photo-realistic work through his uncanny ability to get to the heart of how to "see". |  |
Sandi DeFranco Giannini: Studio 303| Education: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Phil., Pa. 1981-1986 / Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem, Pa. / Awards: PAFA: 1985-1986 The Morris Blackburn Landscape Prize, The Historical Yellow Springs Landscape Prize, The Lambert and Wallace Cadwalder Prize for landscape, honorable mention, The William Emlen Cresson Memorial European Traveling Landscape Scholarship / 1994: The Perkins Center for the Arts, Morris town, NJ. Award of Merit, (juror Assistant curator, Whitney Museum of Art, NY., NY.} / Lehigh Valley Hospital Purchase Award / 1995: Art Partners, LAA/LVAC, Award of Merit /LAA, Binney & Smith Award 1st place / BAA Honorable Mention / 1996: National Association of Women Artist, NY.,NY. Marion de Sola Mendes Memorial Award / Woodmere Art Museum, Mary Townsend Mason Award; LAA Award of Merit / 1997:/ LAA Binney & Smith Award, 1st place / 1998 / LAA (Fall exhibition) Awards of Merit / National Association of Women Artists, Beatrice Jackson Memorial Award / LAA ( Spring Exhibition ) 1st. place The Binney & Smith Award / 1999: LAA Fall Exhibition 1st place Binney & Smith Award, Hazelton Art League, PNC bank Award / LAA Spring Exhibition 1st place Binney & Smith Award / 2000 Millennium Oil Exhibition- honorable mention Pen and Brush, N.Y., N.Y.,/ 2002: Pen and Brush, N.Y., N.Y., Solo Show Award / LAA Spring Exhibition, Honorable mention / Three Person show award, Freberger gallery Penn State, Berks,/ 2005 / LAA Fall Exhibition , 1st place award of merit / One Women Exhibitions:/ 1988 Giannetta Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa../ 1993 Tangerine Fine Arts Gallery, Harrisburg, Pa./ 1994 Northampton Area Community College, Bethlehem, Pa./ 1995 The Hahn Gallery, Chestnut Hill, Pa./ Salon, Salon, Reading, Pa./ 1997 The Hahn Gallery,/ 1998 Reading Area Community College, Reading, Pa./ 2000 / The Hahn Gallery, Chestnut Hill, Pa./ 2002/ The Jamison Carnegie Heritage Hall Museum, Talladega, Alabama/ Pen And Brush NY, NY./ 2004 Penn State, Lehigh Campus Allentown, Pa./ 2005 Traveling Solo Exhibition; Gilda Center, Hackensack, NJ, Horwith, NJ., National Association of Women Artists Gallery, New York, NY. Publications: Numerous publications including American Artist Magazine, July 2001/ 2000 Intellectuals of the 21st century, International Biographical Center Cambridge, England/ Who’s Who of Professional and Business Women / to name a few Boards of Directors:/ 1994-2006 Lehigh Art Alliance/ 2007 Goggle Works center for the arts/ 1997-2006 National Association of Women Artist |  |
Dan Gorman: Studio 214Painter Daniel Gorman works mostly in oils and watercolors in a painterly-realistic style. Primarily a landscape painter, he earned a B.A. in studio art from Marietta College, Ohio and has continued to expand his knowledge through numerous courses offered locally. Daniel has won awards for his participation in many area shows including the Berks Art Alliance Annual Juried Exhibition. He has worked as a commercial artist in Reading for 24 years and lives on a farm, drawing inspiration from nature and the surrounding landscape. Although focused on painting, Daniel also experiments with found-object assemblages.
Artist statement:
For me, Art is about sharing an experience, sensation, or observation that has demanded my attention. The challenge then becomes to create a similar reaction, in the viewer, that touches them in some way. |  |
Roy Hershey: Studio 206Roy Hershey makes functional pottery, tile pieces and decorative platters for use and others which hang on the wall. These are of abstract design, challenging the eye within the space of a ceramic rondle. Color and texture are important. Commissions taken on dinnerware, other pottery items and decorative platters. |  |
Artist Phone: 717-738-2698
Richard Penn Houck: Studio 312Born and raised in Berks County, and having lived in Philadelphia and Manhattan, Rich feels a love and appreciation for both nature and metropolitan life. Having worked in theater, counseling and international public heath research, he has developed a strong interest in the human condition. From his first ceramics class at the Institute of the Arts in Wyomissing, to his BFA in Painting from the University of the Arts, to his studio at the DNA Gallery-Studios on 118th Street in Manhattan, art and creativity have always been a focus of Rich's life. After thirteen years away, Rich has an even greater appreciation for Reading and Berks County, and he is thrilled to be a part of the GoggleWorks during "Reading's Renaissance." |  |
Artist Link: http://www.richhouck.com Elizabeth Irwin: Studio 308It was in Alaska that Elizabeth was introduced to the art form of Russian Icon painting. She has studied with Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox and Episcopalian icon artists and has been doing icon “writing” for the past seven years. Elizabeth has been an artist for thirty some years and also uses her art skills to paint wall murals and decorative furniture. |  |
Sandra Kaye: Studio 216Sandra is a full time self-employed pastel artist and glass fusing artist. She has been accepting portrait commissions for 20 years and selling her prints and original works through gallery representation and juried shows. Sandra has always had a fascination with glass and began experimenting and creating in glass fusing 8 years ago. She has since created original tiles, platters, bowls, jewelry, tables and more and now works from two separate studios, one for pastel painting and one for glass fusion. |  |
Karen Lesniak: Studio 211“I am an abstract experimentalist with a grounded focus on texture, actual or implied. I work with all forms of mixed water media and stained glass. Layering applications of materials and presenting a finished piece brings into focus a minute pinpoint of my perspective of the universe for you to view. I ascribe to the notion that art is a beautiful way to fill a space and that if I can cause your eye to rest but a moment on one of my works, then I am doing my job; a momentary thought can set a new spin to the universe.” |  |
Judy Lupas: Studio 217| Judy Lupas is a professional fine artist who has a studio at the GoggleWorks Art Center.She graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with honors, lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia and has shown her works in solo and invitational show in the area.
She has recently sold work to a major corporation and has won awards for outstanding drawing and painting. Her work has been accepted into the archives of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and has been recogonized by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge for "Lost Dreams on Canvas",an award for children lost to street violence. |  |
Artist Link: http://www.judylupas.com Susie Martin: Studio 311Susie Martin grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. She attended Elmira
College, New York majoring in Art with a specialization in ceramics and drawing.
Martin has always been fascinated with vases, which made her
experiment with different ideas and techniques in order to
achieve her sense of style. Her artwork is primarily focused on
hand building techniques and altered wheel thrown pieces.
She is known for her series of Dancing Vases, which shows the
direction of Martin’s artwork. These vessels carry similar
characteristics from their glaze to their form. Each vase is
asymmetrical with free flowing curves and angles. Their design
allows them to carry their own appearance, life and identity.
Martin’s artwork can also be seen at Gallery 20 and Five & Divine. |  |
Artist E-Mail: Kime14901@yahoo.com
Artist Phone: 610-451-2457 Artist Link: http://www.thedancingvase.com Sharon McGinley: Studio 310Sharon, a Berks County native has lived in Florida, Alaska, New York and Massachusetts. Sharon has returned to live among the Pennsylvania Dutch landscape of her childhood. She is known for her illustration of children's books which have been reviewed in the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, People Magazine, the School Library Journal, and the Smithsonian Magazine. Her paintings are in personal and corporate collections. Sharon has a B.S. in Art Education, and has studied portrait painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Boston Museum.
Brightly colored and highly decorative, her narrative paintings are reflective of the Pennsylvania folk art of her youth and the kaleidoscope of her experiences. |  |
Shirley Newton: Studio 215Shirley Jean Newton, also known as Alnissa, and her trade name listed as Alnissa’s Art, is a native of Berks County born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania. As a child Shirley had lived and attended school in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance Era. She later moved to Reading where she completed her secondary schooling and graduated from MINDCO with a certificate in Business Management. Shirley is currently a co-op member at the Art Plus Gallery and Gallery 20 both in West Reading, PA. She is also a member of the Berks Art Council and Berks Art Alliance. Shirley, never having any formal training in art, has been progressively mastering her artistic creativity for the past 29 years. Shirley views her many talents as an incredible gift from God.
Shirley creates free-standing dolls made of wood. The dolls’ clothes are also Shirley’s designs and creations, which express her idea of their authenticity and origins. Other facets of Shirley’s artistic creativity is her mixed media wall plaques, jewelry, African landscape centerpieces, and family setting incense burners. |  |
Berlioz Ortega: Studio 204| Berlioz Ortega was born in Santo Domingo in 1967. He graduated from La Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, where he was an outstanding student and won several awards including two first prize recognitions from The National Academy of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo. His most recent exhibition was “Dominican Artists from the 80’s Generation in New York” at the Dominican Commission of Culture in the U.S. |  |
Artist Phone: 484.529.9184
Fran Parzanese: Studio 213| |  |
Heidi Reuter: Studio 219| Heidi Reuter has a MA with Merit in Photographic Journalism from the University of Westminster, London, a BA in Art and Communication from Muhlenberg College and has also studied Fine Art and Communication at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She now teaches photography at Alvernia College. Reuter is also a freelance photographer and graphic designer for magazines and companies based in Berks County, Philadelphia, Susquehanna Valley, Lehigh Valley, NYC, London and China. Highlig hts of her photography career include photographing HRH Prince Charles, JayZ, Russell Simmons, and Fall Out Boy. She is available for portraits, weddings and commercial work. |  |
Artist E-Mail: heidi@heidireuter.com
Artist Link: http://www.heidireuter.com Susan Small: Studio 311I work primarily in ceramics but I am not limited to any one form. My work extends from pottery to sculpture and pretty much anything in between. I enjoy mixing ceramic elements with other media. I am also fluent in tile making and making full scale handmade murals. I feel that art making is both an exploration and an opportunity to find your personal voice. That voice need not take any one form. I also feel that art is to be shared; it is a great vehicle for finding our common spirit. I have been involved in many public art projects in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the most recent being the GCap mural at the GoggleWorks in Reading Pa and the ceramic sculpture "Joyful Experience" at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA |  |
Mary Stoudt: Studio 314Fiber has always been my first choice of art media. For the last three decades though I have painted, printed, mixed my media, photographed, potted, sculpted, and dabbled in every media to come my way. Yet somehow I always return to fiber as if it was an old friend waiting to give me a warm hug.
In 2003 I devised a special quilting technique that involves layering disparate types of fabric, a grid foundation upon which I improvise in a number of ways. Sometimes, I sandwich paper, plastic, even slides into the work. I do whatever it takes to get the image that starts in my mind as I envision the concept of each individual art quilt.
My inspirations are drawn from varied sources- favorite artists such as Paul Klee and Gustav Klimt, music literature, the fields near my home, memories of my childhood, my heritage, art shows and museums, ancient textiles, the architecture of Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas. I love the warmth, the flexibility, the play of color and the textures of quilt-making and attempt to present my fascination in a contemporary way. |  |
Richard J. Summons: Studio 216I create figurative and abstract works of art, both naturallstic and surrealistically in bronze, aluminum, stainless steel, gypsum cements,
bonded metals, stoneware and porcelain.
I am known nationally and internationally for my bas reliefs, avaifable in bonded metals, bronze, and at ceramic tiles. My other world consists of the naturalistic- surrealistic works in bronze; playful compositions of toads, turtles, fish, beetles... Which I refer to as my "Meadowsongs". My ability to work in varied scm.eshas garnered many commissioned works for individuals and organizations. These works include awards, medallions, life-size children and animal figures,portraiture, and monumental public art installations.
"I use stylized natural forms such as trees, flowers, clouds, and
figures to give my audience a familiar point of reference. Then I
introduce a simplified and somehow contrasting visual filter to
obscure, overpower, or support the underlying subject.
I love nature and have a great interest in perception, psychology, and
philosophy. My work is often inspired by studying the processes
involved in communication, comprehension and human interaction." |  |
Barbara Thun: Studio 301Receiving her BFA from Plymouth State College in 1983, Barbara went on to become a member of the Pheonix gallery in Soho and exhibited there for three years before completing the MFA program at Bard College in 1989. She has exhibited widely in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, including The Currier Museum, Colby College, Anselm College, University of New Hampshire, Lehigh University, Northampton Community College, Muhlenberg College, Allentown Museum, Reading Museum, Penn State Berks, Reading Area Community College, The Freedman Gallery at Albright College, and the Fleisher Memorial in Philadelphia.
As well as painting, working in pastels, and printmaking, Barbara also works on three dimensional pieces for installations. While primitive cultures have served the basis for most of the works, other themes include the loss of potential for women in the structured society of the 19th century, and a wide range of poetry which serves to unlock a visual narrative.
“My work has always dealt with man’s connection to the earth. In primitive cultures the natural world determined the community belief systems. In today’s world many people have lost touch with the land. My present work includes a tactile involvement with three dimensional natural forms and drawings that reflect a more abstract approach to the color and texture of the land – both mediums reflecting the mystery and power of the natural world.” |  |
Adrienne Trafford: Studio 304Adrienne Trafford’s colorful and whimsical work is influenced by artists who were also influenced by color – Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Gustav Klimt to name a few. She describes her painting as mainly impressionistic with a fauvist slant. Adrienne works from life but also from the imagery of her mind's eye. She believes her strengths lie in her use and passion for color and for human beauty and personality. She continues to explore the phenomenon of color relationships through landscapes and still lifes, and enjoys experimenting with color by primarily using acrylic and watercolor paints.
Sensing her artistic ability, Adrienne was encouraged by her family to draw and paint from a young age. As a child, for many years she studied at the Wyomissing Institute of Fine Arts. During her college years, she spent time studying in Tuscany, which has been a huge influence on her work. She graduated from Kutztown University with a Bachelors in Fine Art.
After college, she worked as a graphic designer, taking time off to raise a family. Following a brief hiatus from painting, she began selling her art on the internet, in local galleries and specialty stores. During 2005, she sold over 300 paintings and is collected throughout the United States, Canada and England.
Adrienne has visited many museums in England, Italy, France, and The Netherlands, as well as the United States, and is continually inspired by her travels. She lives in Fleetwood with her husband and two young daughters and is thrilled to be part of the Reading Renaissance at the Goggleworks.
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Artist Link: http://web.mac.com/adriennetrafford/iWeb Georgette L. Veeder: Studio 315Georgette studied Fine Arts at Montclair University where she completed a BFA. She spent the next four years teaching and traveling throughout Europe. It was at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where she pursued advanced studies in sculpture, printmaking and papermaking. She graduated with honors receiving the Cresson Memorial Traveling Scholarship. In addition to numerous prizes she is the recipient of the Pennsylvania Governors Award.
Georgette has been actively involved with fiber arts for 30 years. Her work represents an intensive study and exploration of natural plant and animal fibers. She uses traditional materials and processes to create contemporary fiber forms.
Georgette’s work has been widely exhibited in galleries and museums. Her work is represented in many public and private collections and has been published in Fiber ArtsDesign Book 7. |  |
Artist Link: http://www.georgettelveeder.com Steve Weber: Studio WoodshopI've been carving and working with wood since I was a kid, in Cub and Boy Scouts. I started my career working for a contractor the summer between ninth and tenth grade followed by working two summers in the cabinetmaking shop at Baldwin Hardware. During the school year, I attended the Carpentry Program at Reading Muhlenberg Area Vocational Technical School, graduating in 1973. After high school graduation I went through the four year Carpenter Apprentice Program sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Berks County and completed this program in 1977. I worked for Restoration and Renovation Contractors from 1973 to 1982.These contractors were beginning to end craftsmen, we did everything from laying out the building on the lot, to building and installing period doors, windows, cabinets and other built-ins. I started teaching at the Carpentry at the Reading Muhlenberg A.V.T.S in 1981 to present. While teaching at the Vo-Tech I went through the Temple Vocational Instructors Program and received my teaching certification in 1988. I also have spent about 10 years teaching the Home Builders Carpentry Apprentice Program. Although I have no real formal art training I have been fortunate enough to work with and learn from some of the most talented craftsmen in Berks County. I feel strongly that it is important for me to share what I learned from these artisans with others. Sharing these acquired skills and knowledge is a very rewarding part of the trip through life.
I enjoy all kinds of woodworking from cabinetmaking, carving and turning, to home building and restoration work. I particularly enjoy taking found pieces of lumber and using them to create carvings, turnings, hollow vessels, bowls and furniture pieces. Taking discarded lumber (often found on firewood piles) and creating something that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional is very rewarding. The amazing defects and colors that are found in discarded lumber make totally unique pieces, the material is almost like a rare jewel, they are one of a kind creations from natural and the forces that act upon it, no two are exactly alike. |  |
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